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A Fairy Tale of New York
A Fairy Tale of New York is a funny, lusty, and sad novel of comic genius. Returning from study abroad, Cornelius Christian enters customs with his luggage and his dead wife. His first encounter in New York is with a funeral director, with whom he reluctantly takes employment to pay for the burial expenses. In the course of his duties he meets the beautiful Fanny Sourpuss over her millionaire husband's dead body. However, his over-enthusiastic handling of his first corpse lands him in court. Cornelius Christian wanders through the great sad cathedral that is New York, examining the human condition in all its comic pathos and lonely absurdity. Whether lingering in the Automat drinking from half empty coffee cups and stealing baked beans from the plates of customers who go looking for ketchup, or finding love on a street corner only to end up fighting his way out of a hooker's fists, Cornelius Christian, heroic anti-hero, sings of life's goodness in the wake of disaster.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
J.P. Donleavy
49 books206 followersJames Patrick Donleavy was an Irish American author, born to Irish immigrants. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II after which he moved to Ireland. In 1946 he began studies at Trinity College, Dublin, but left before taking a degree. He was first published in the Dublin literary periodical, Envoy.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.P._Don...
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.P._Don...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
November 5, 2020
I know no other writer who can be as telegraphically poetic as J.P. Donleavy and as laconically vivid.
A Fairy Tale of New York is the tale of mourning and it is the tale of loving.
It is the book of the dead…
It is the book of the living…
A man is a solitary being standing alone against all the sorrows of the world.
A Fairy Tale of New York is the tale of mourning and it is the tale of loving.
It is the book of the dead…
The deceased’s arm hanging out over the side of the casket. Fingers dipping into the tips of the lilies of the valley. Fuming up their fragrance when all we need is smelling salts.
It is the book of the living…
Show honesty in the squeeze of your handshake. Grow tall strong and bronze like the buildings. Tear them down before they get ghosts. All over this city. Too rich to laugh at. Too lonely to love.
A man is a solitary being standing alone against all the sorrows of the world.
October 26, 2018
Ambition Fulfilled
Donleavy writes like a literate magpie. Twitchy. Snapshot-flicks of the head. Short calls of alarm and surprise. Just hard shapes, no colour. Startled by sudden movement. Alert to sounds. Fragments of instinct and memory. Picking up shiny bits. Never still.
Until, that is, he cuts into his Noo Yawk dialogue. Then it’s comedy with a noir edge that catches the character of the place - its suspicious immigrants, its world weary cops, its sarcastic taxi drivers, its canny street people, and its masses of folk on the make in one way or another. Whatever else happens in the City “Commerce continues.”
The protagonist, Cornelius Christian, doesn’t have (or need) much time to grieve his departed wife. He discovers through her funeral a new calling which involves helping others grieve, for a price: “A great life. This disposal of the dead. The only thing that can stop me now is failure.” It’s the New York therapy for death: ambition, from the Latin ambire, to seek popular reputation. It is not possible to live there without self-promotion. In New York City, “Without a siren it's hard to get noticed.”
Donleavy‘s not averse to a bit of slapstick about the situation when it’s necessary:
“Do you like good books and music.''
"Yes I do."
"I do too. Really good books. I really love books."
"I like books."
''I knew you did. It's written all over you.'”
And where could superficiality be more appropriate than in a funeral cortège. There’s nothing beneath the skin of the dead. In New York, its all about presentation in any case. No one gets past the cover of a book... or a person. Why bother?
Donleavy knows America as only an immigrant can - from the outside. That’s the only place from which the Dream can be seen clearly: “Perched on the rocky knolls those houses where people live who look safe from life. Behind their cozy window panes. In rambling rooms. Refrigerators full with ice cream, olives, pimento cheese. Sliced bologna and roast beef all ready to lay thickly between the mayonnaise slathered rye bread. Sit on a big sofa in the sprawling living room. Sink your teeth in all that eating and wash it down with soda pop. A big fire blazing. Dozens of radiators tingling hot all over the house.” Cozy, safe, warm, and fed. What else is there to desire?
But inside the Dream it’s an entirely different experience. Inside “The weak give the strong a marvelous appetite.” Popularity, after all, is a relative thing; and everyone else is a competitor. Reputation is shark bait not just reward. You win, I lose. It’s that simple. Inside, therefore, the Dream has certain unexpected dimensions. As in this laconic chapter epilogue:
“Happiness
Is
A big cat
With a mouse
On a square mile
Of linoleum”
Most people end up as mice in New York; and thus maintain the required level of ambition. But a problem of course arises for the few cats for whom the Dream is realized. The Dream has no goal except itself: “But now Cornelius I'm going to tell you something, what good is it having an ass worth millions if I've already got millions. The whole point of having an ass worth millions is to sell it for millions. I sold mine for millions. And I've got millions. But I've still got my ass. I guess I could sell it for more millions. That's the answer. More millions.” Ambition for ambition’s sake is... well a defective and self-defeating ambition. But don’t let on. The City would empty overnight.
I think Donleavy is one of the great stylists and story-tellers about New York City. Although Irish, he has what many New Yorkers would recognize as Yiddishkeit, a sort of empathetic affection for the underdogs, unfashionables, and disadvataged joes whose principle ambition is to survive. Despite that, I had never heard of him. Why not?, I ask myself. Must be be lack of ambition - either mine or his, I’m not sure which.
Donleavy writes like a literate magpie. Twitchy. Snapshot-flicks of the head. Short calls of alarm and surprise. Just hard shapes, no colour. Startled by sudden movement. Alert to sounds. Fragments of instinct and memory. Picking up shiny bits. Never still.
Until, that is, he cuts into his Noo Yawk dialogue. Then it’s comedy with a noir edge that catches the character of the place - its suspicious immigrants, its world weary cops, its sarcastic taxi drivers, its canny street people, and its masses of folk on the make in one way or another. Whatever else happens in the City “Commerce continues.”
The protagonist, Cornelius Christian, doesn’t have (or need) much time to grieve his departed wife. He discovers through her funeral a new calling which involves helping others grieve, for a price: “A great life. This disposal of the dead. The only thing that can stop me now is failure.” It’s the New York therapy for death: ambition, from the Latin ambire, to seek popular reputation. It is not possible to live there without self-promotion. In New York City, “Without a siren it's hard to get noticed.”
Donleavy‘s not averse to a bit of slapstick about the situation when it’s necessary:
“Do you like good books and music.''
"Yes I do."
"I do too. Really good books. I really love books."
"I like books."
''I knew you did. It's written all over you.'”
And where could superficiality be more appropriate than in a funeral cortège. There’s nothing beneath the skin of the dead. In New York, its all about presentation in any case. No one gets past the cover of a book... or a person. Why bother?
Donleavy knows America as only an immigrant can - from the outside. That’s the only place from which the Dream can be seen clearly: “Perched on the rocky knolls those houses where people live who look safe from life. Behind their cozy window panes. In rambling rooms. Refrigerators full with ice cream, olives, pimento cheese. Sliced bologna and roast beef all ready to lay thickly between the mayonnaise slathered rye bread. Sit on a big sofa in the sprawling living room. Sink your teeth in all that eating and wash it down with soda pop. A big fire blazing. Dozens of radiators tingling hot all over the house.” Cozy, safe, warm, and fed. What else is there to desire?
But inside the Dream it’s an entirely different experience. Inside “The weak give the strong a marvelous appetite.” Popularity, after all, is a relative thing; and everyone else is a competitor. Reputation is shark bait not just reward. You win, I lose. It’s that simple. Inside, therefore, the Dream has certain unexpected dimensions. As in this laconic chapter epilogue:
“Happiness
Is
A big cat
With a mouse
On a square mile
Of linoleum”
Most people end up as mice in New York; and thus maintain the required level of ambition. But a problem of course arises for the few cats for whom the Dream is realized. The Dream has no goal except itself: “But now Cornelius I'm going to tell you something, what good is it having an ass worth millions if I've already got millions. The whole point of having an ass worth millions is to sell it for millions. I sold mine for millions. And I've got millions. But I've still got my ass. I guess I could sell it for more millions. That's the answer. More millions.” Ambition for ambition’s sake is... well a defective and self-defeating ambition. But don’t let on. The City would empty overnight.
I think Donleavy is one of the great stylists and story-tellers about New York City. Although Irish, he has what many New Yorkers would recognize as Yiddishkeit, a sort of empathetic affection for the underdogs, unfashionables, and disadvataged joes whose principle ambition is to survive. Despite that, I had never heard of him. Why not?, I ask myself. Must be be lack of ambition - either mine or his, I’m not sure which.
June 26, 2025
- لا اعرف اذا كان تحويل هذا العمل الى العربية قد افقده بريقه او اذا كان سيئاً أصلاً في لغته الأم. لم استمتع، لم استفد ولم اقدر على امساك جوهر القصة او فكرتها المفترضة!!
April 29, 2020
حين تُجبرك الحياة علي اختيارات غير متوقعة ، وغير مناسبة لك، أو لقدراتك، أو أحلامك، أو طبيعتك
ثم تحاول أن تُجبر نفسك علي تحمل هذه الاختيارات .. أملاً في الوصول إلي بر ملائم لحياتك المُبعثرة
وتنسي أنك لست وحدك .. وأن هناك آخرين آخرين لهم حياتهم وأحلامهم وطموحاتهم التي ربما لا تتوافق ابداً مع طبيعتك
هنا أمامك خياران
إما أن تتمسك بطبيعتك الحالمة وتخسر الآخرين ونجاحك الزائف معهم
وإما أن تتخلي عن طبيعتك، وتتمسك بالآخرين، وتنجح معهم نجاحا مؤقتا مؤرقاً مُتعباً مغلفاً بالمجاملات الزائفة
.........
اللقاء الأول مع الأديب الأمريكي ج.ب دونيلفي
لقاء هادئ بنكهة فلسفية مستترة
January 6, 2020
In 1955, Donleavy published The Ginger Man. Then in 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1995, and 1998, Donleavy published The Ginger Man, with fresh titles and protagonists. This iteration features the charmless Cornelius Christian, a New Yorker returning from Europe to plant his wife in the sod. Across the 334 pages, in JP’s usual staccato mix of narration and interior monologue, the well-spoken and eager-fisted Cornelius shambles through various hilarious and tedious comedic scenarios, most descending into crass sex comedies with the wit replaced with softcore farce, the usual stylistic elegance swallowed up in the author’s revelling in the freedom to profane and curse. This is not subtle, sublime moral decadence, like in the first Ginger Man. This is an author struggling to shock in a post-shock seventies. (And yes, the title was stolen by Shane MacGowan for that famous song).
August 15, 2012
J.P. Donleavy is one of my top five favorite authors of all time. And for me, this is my favorite of his novels.
The lead character is a floundering, directionless scoundrel but he's also a lost person who side stepped into a maze after immigrating to New York City. There's an honesty to this book, there's an honesty to how one can be so alone and yet surrounded by millions of people in NYC.
This particular quote sums up exactly why this book struck home to me so hard, as I read this shortly after relocating to NYC.
"Man sitting across the table hurriedly lifting his plutocrat plate of mash potato, sliced carrots, sausage and gravy. Retreating away as other customers look. And Cornelius's fist pounds the table. Utensils clatter. Man rushes back to retrieve his grey converted pork pie fedora. Worn by guys who think they're going places. Hold tight because I'm cracking up. With no night to sleep in. Throwing tiny fists as a looming big grey bleak city. Never stops long enough for you to catch up. Every highway droning round the clock. Wait for me. And no one hears. Run down Broadway through the pedestrians panhandling for one hello. Any smile from any face. A howdido. Whoa. Gently now. Else the horse runs wild forever. Once it takes you galloping."
When I feel like I need to visit with a friend, I re-read this novel.
The lead character is a floundering, directionless scoundrel but he's also a lost person who side stepped into a maze after immigrating to New York City. There's an honesty to this book, there's an honesty to how one can be so alone and yet surrounded by millions of people in NYC.
This particular quote sums up exactly why this book struck home to me so hard, as I read this shortly after relocating to NYC.
"Man sitting across the table hurriedly lifting his plutocrat plate of mash potato, sliced carrots, sausage and gravy. Retreating away as other customers look. And Cornelius's fist pounds the table. Utensils clatter. Man rushes back to retrieve his grey converted pork pie fedora. Worn by guys who think they're going places. Hold tight because I'm cracking up. With no night to sleep in. Throwing tiny fists as a looming big grey bleak city. Never stops long enough for you to catch up. Every highway droning round the clock. Wait for me. And no one hears. Run down Broadway through the pedestrians panhandling for one hello. Any smile from any face. A howdido. Whoa. Gently now. Else the horse runs wild forever. Once it takes you galloping."
When I feel like I need to visit with a friend, I re-read this novel.
July 25, 2017
Cornelius Christian, the protagonist in this novel, is young, handsome, widowed, highly sexed, amoral and erratic. I couldn’t get a fix on this guy and concluded in the end that I didn’t like him very much. Narrated in combination first and third person prose, with lengthy monologues and bizarre dialogue, this is a satire on the shallowness of life in America. It is also a difficult read due to its style.
Cornelius arrives back home to New York after a sojourn in Ireland. His wife who is accompanying him on the voyage, dies at sea. Indebted to the funeral home in New York for the expenses for burying her, he accepts a job as an assistant to the mortician, the generous Mr. Vine. Cornelius immediately meets the nymphomaniac and millionaire widow Fanny Sourpuss who has just had her husband interred by Vine. On the way home from the funeral, the widow and Cornelius end up in bed, having glorious sex to alleviate their grief and loneliness. And thus begins a sexual romp for Cornelius across the bedrooms of the city where every woman who eyes him, quickly falls for his “model and actor’s” looks and invites him in. He even has sex among the dead bodies in the funeral home with the virginal Miss Musk. The envelopment by death appears to give rise to the lust for living - “To smell sweat instead the heavy, gloating reek of death.”
Fanny Sourpuss turns out to be a possessive lover and offers to marry him, willing to shower her millions on him, but Cornelius refuses her repeatedly as he wants to preserve his independence and also because he has a self-destructive streak. He gets another job writing ad copy, but that job soon ends as this former pugilist gets into strings of bar fights and a romp with the boss’s wife. He finally takes his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte, to dinner, but that ends up in the most embarrassing meal ever.
In Cornelius’s travels across New York the author paints the city as being riddled with random crime, perverts, racists and women wanting to get laid. He mocks industry, and in particular, the funeral industry, the hospitality industry, and the advertizing industry, portraying bizarre scenes taking place within them. The judicial system is next under the satire-o-scope, replete with the its bug infested courtrooms, slimy lawyers, cheeky witnesses and demagogic judges. Someone advises Cornelius that “It’s good to be smart in this town where everyone is selling or stealing.” The disgruntled ad agency boss Mr. How says, “You tell your kids that they are growing up in a holocaust of dirty deals.”
Cornelius is amoral, cheating on his boss by having sex with the man’s wife while Mr. How is immobilized upstairs. He repeatedly cheats on Fanny until she leaves in disgust, he deserts the forlorn Charlotte on their infamous dinner date where the waiters get more airtime than the two of them.
We are never given access to what his life was in Ireland but it seems to be a magnet to pull him back from the sterility of New York, and we know that he must inevitably go back from whence he came at the beginning of the novel. We learn that he was orphaned in New York as a child and has bad memories of it, and this return trip to the Big Apple has done nothing to erase the past. The sexual adventures only help to accentuate his loneliness. He yearns for marriage and stability, and yet rejects it from those like Fanny and Charlotte who could have provided for him after his wife passes away.
While there were many humorous set pieces, I found the satirical depth to be shallow. Yes, there are some issues, particularly relating to the American Dream, that the author puts on the table, but they are dealt with as cursorily as Cornelius’s dalliances with the opposite sex.
Cornelius arrives back home to New York after a sojourn in Ireland. His wife who is accompanying him on the voyage, dies at sea. Indebted to the funeral home in New York for the expenses for burying her, he accepts a job as an assistant to the mortician, the generous Mr. Vine. Cornelius immediately meets the nymphomaniac and millionaire widow Fanny Sourpuss who has just had her husband interred by Vine. On the way home from the funeral, the widow and Cornelius end up in bed, having glorious sex to alleviate their grief and loneliness. And thus begins a sexual romp for Cornelius across the bedrooms of the city where every woman who eyes him, quickly falls for his “model and actor’s” looks and invites him in. He even has sex among the dead bodies in the funeral home with the virginal Miss Musk. The envelopment by death appears to give rise to the lust for living - “To smell sweat instead the heavy, gloating reek of death.”
Fanny Sourpuss turns out to be a possessive lover and offers to marry him, willing to shower her millions on him, but Cornelius refuses her repeatedly as he wants to preserve his independence and also because he has a self-destructive streak. He gets another job writing ad copy, but that job soon ends as this former pugilist gets into strings of bar fights and a romp with the boss’s wife. He finally takes his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte, to dinner, but that ends up in the most embarrassing meal ever.
In Cornelius’s travels across New York the author paints the city as being riddled with random crime, perverts, racists and women wanting to get laid. He mocks industry, and in particular, the funeral industry, the hospitality industry, and the advertizing industry, portraying bizarre scenes taking place within them. The judicial system is next under the satire-o-scope, replete with the its bug infested courtrooms, slimy lawyers, cheeky witnesses and demagogic judges. Someone advises Cornelius that “It’s good to be smart in this town where everyone is selling or stealing.” The disgruntled ad agency boss Mr. How says, “You tell your kids that they are growing up in a holocaust of dirty deals.”
Cornelius is amoral, cheating on his boss by having sex with the man’s wife while Mr. How is immobilized upstairs. He repeatedly cheats on Fanny until she leaves in disgust, he deserts the forlorn Charlotte on their infamous dinner date where the waiters get more airtime than the two of them.
We are never given access to what his life was in Ireland but it seems to be a magnet to pull him back from the sterility of New York, and we know that he must inevitably go back from whence he came at the beginning of the novel. We learn that he was orphaned in New York as a child and has bad memories of it, and this return trip to the Big Apple has done nothing to erase the past. The sexual adventures only help to accentuate his loneliness. He yearns for marriage and stability, and yet rejects it from those like Fanny and Charlotte who could have provided for him after his wife passes away.
While there were many humorous set pieces, I found the satirical depth to be shallow. Yes, there are some issues, particularly relating to the American Dream, that the author puts on the table, but they are dealt with as cursorily as Cornelius’s dalliances with the opposite sex.
December 30, 2015
Been thinking of a way of describing this book and I've come up with:
Henry Miller with a sense of humour!
Just like Miller he has created a cast of horrible characters, violence, foul language and gratuitous sex, combining to make a great read.
Donleavy uses short. Punchy sentences. To make this story move along very fastly. Christian is a brilliant character, at first I thought he was gonna be a bit soft but turns out he was wonderfully destructive, his politeness was hilarious at times creating one of the funniest court rooms scenes ever. I was laughing so hard I got some bizarre looks. :) at the end of each chapter it ends as a poem, very clever and effective.
One of the reasons for reading this was because it inspired my favourite Christmas song by the Pogues, at first I couldn't see the inspiration, but once Fanny Sourpuss arrives in the book I can see their violent relationship is spot on for the song.
Enjoyed this book and will be checking out more work by Donleavy.
Henry Miller with a sense of humour!
Just like Miller he has created a cast of horrible characters, violence, foul language and gratuitous sex, combining to make a great read.
Donleavy uses short. Punchy sentences. To make this story move along very fastly. Christian is a brilliant character, at first I thought he was gonna be a bit soft but turns out he was wonderfully destructive, his politeness was hilarious at times creating one of the funniest court rooms scenes ever. I was laughing so hard I got some bizarre looks. :) at the end of each chapter it ends as a poem, very clever and effective.
One of the reasons for reading this was because it inspired my favourite Christmas song by the Pogues, at first I couldn't see the inspiration, but once Fanny Sourpuss arrives in the book I can see their violent relationship is spot on for the song.
Enjoyed this book and will be checking out more work by Donleavy.
November 25, 2020
Donleavy had an unique style and a formula consisting of a capable rake nearly destitute living off his appearance, attractiveness to women and ability to speak with aplomb. In this book Cornelius Christian arrives back to NYC. His wife has died on the ship during the voyage so it is no surprise the story has a lot of death and thoughts about the past.
Donleavy is not for everyone but I found this book quite a hoot, the scene of Cornelius's job interview was hilarious and I'm off to get a copy of The Ginger Man.
Donleavy is not for everyone but I found this book quite a hoot, the scene of Cornelius's job interview was hilarious and I'm off to get a copy of The Ginger Man.
March 9, 2018
Picked this up because it evoked the New York City of my childhood. But it’s mostly stream of consciousness—don’t care for my own, less some fictional character’s monkey mind.
Sordid People I’d rather not know. Unhappy protagonist. Meh.
A few funny scenes—especially the courtroom scene.
But really, sorry I bothered. Not my cuppa.
Sordid People I’d rather not know. Unhappy protagonist. Meh.
A few funny scenes—especially the courtroom scene.
But really, sorry I bothered. Not my cuppa.
October 1, 2010
Holly, whom you probably don't know, once felt strongly that every Jansenist, Jesuit, dentist, or destitute should at some point and time ask herself following:
What will be found at the crossroads of idealism and benevolence? Will it be The Puritans of the Long Parliament or The Piano Man of Long Island?
Mind, Holly's friend Fire, expressly named after the famous element, then paraphrased her initial question; verbally offering it to the group. As such:
Is it obvious that man's ethical responsibility varies with his knowledge of consequence(s)?
Finding myself currently caught up in this maelstrom of unanswered questions, I conveniently quickly deduced that Holly and Fire were simply wanting my outward opinion on Moral Basis v Scheme of Social Application and perhaps, if time permits, my additional opinion RE: several loosely-associated post-consequential points of guise.
After a small internal prayer, I simply clearly stated the following to the both of them: But that is only because evil always takes advantage of ambiguity.
With the cadence of pregnant pause still ringing in my ears I felt a moral responsibility to add the following: Akin to an inner peace worth fighting for.
Fire wondered aloud if anyone would then consider joining him on a tri-state killing spree.
I said that I would. And that you would. Holly would. And we already know Fire would.
What will be found at the crossroads of idealism and benevolence? Will it be The Puritans of the Long Parliament or The Piano Man of Long Island?
Mind, Holly's friend Fire, expressly named after the famous element, then paraphrased her initial question; verbally offering it to the group. As such:
Is it obvious that man's ethical responsibility varies with his knowledge of consequence(s)?
Finding myself currently caught up in this maelstrom of unanswered questions, I conveniently quickly deduced that Holly and Fire were simply wanting my outward opinion on Moral Basis v Scheme of Social Application and perhaps, if time permits, my additional opinion RE: several loosely-associated post-consequential points of guise.
After a small internal prayer, I simply clearly stated the following to the both of them: But that is only because evil always takes advantage of ambiguity.
With the cadence of pregnant pause still ringing in my ears I felt a moral responsibility to add the following: Akin to an inner peace worth fighting for.
Fire wondered aloud if anyone would then consider joining him on a tri-state killing spree.
I said that I would. And that you would. Holly would. And we already know Fire would.
December 13, 2022
I'm never quite sure how many US readers are still reading Donleavy, and always hoping it's more than I suspect. The funniest bits of this one take place while Our Newly Widowed Hero (and usual Donleavy lovable bastard) is working, or drinking, or getting nailed at a funeral parlour. But as with all JP's novels, the ultimate effect of the novel is heartbreak, a quiet and all encompassing loneliness.
That said. After reading him I find it difficult not to. Purloin his style. Because.
Why
Didn't
I
Think
of
That
First
That said. After reading him I find it difficult not to. Purloin his style. Because.
Why
Didn't
I
Think
of
That
First
October 26, 2007
Probably my favorite J.P. Donleavy book. It, like most of his books, is very sentimental but his main characters all feel like they could be friends of mine.
April 30, 2013
abandoned after 90 pages.
I was not thrilled by the plot, and I don't like the style of writing
I was not thrilled by the plot, and I don't like the style of writing
March 14, 2018
This is a novel for your everyday bus trip or a coffee read, it's not very stunning, but it is funny and about a guy living weir experiences and it gets very real.
May 2, 2015
This is the sixth novel of Donleavy's I've read, in order of composition. His prose style--the sentence fragments, irregular spellings, gorgeous imagery, shifts from third to first person, poetic chapter endings, the main characters with alliterative names--was firmly in place from the beginning, and somewhere between A Singular Man and The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B, all of the author's thematic concerns and motifs were nailed down as well. These include:
- a deep desire for wealth and leisure
- a deep ambivalence regarding class
- differences between American and European sensibilities
- social class imposture
- a sensitive, morbid, occasionally cruel protagonist
- a Rabelaisian (or Falstaffian?) friend/sympathizer who promotes perversion and indulgence
- an mentor with an amusing accent who provides life advice
- a preoccupation with death
- debt dodging
- letters from lawyers
- lots of sex
- lots of sexism
- lots of humor
This novel concerns Cornelius Christian, a man just returned to America from a seven year stay in Europe. On the boat ride back, the woman he has married in Europe dies, and Christian's first concern upon returning is her burial. Financially unprepared for this unexpected state of affairs, Christian accepts a job at the funeral home where he is in debt for his wife's funeral. That job, and a later job as an "idea man" at a corporation, provide much of the humor in the novel. It's essentially a book about the complicated nature of mourning.
If you love one Donleavy book, you'll love them all. If you're offended or unamused, nothing else Donleavy writes will change your mind. He is entirely who he is, and I'm glad that there are so many more books of his to read, so that I may prolong the singular, sincere pleasure of doing so.
- a deep desire for wealth and leisure
- a deep ambivalence regarding class
- differences between American and European sensibilities
- social class imposture
- a sensitive, morbid, occasionally cruel protagonist
- a Rabelaisian (or Falstaffian?) friend/sympathizer who promotes perversion and indulgence
- an mentor with an amusing accent who provides life advice
- a preoccupation with death
- debt dodging
- letters from lawyers
- lots of sex
- lots of sexism
- lots of humor
This novel concerns Cornelius Christian, a man just returned to America from a seven year stay in Europe. On the boat ride back, the woman he has married in Europe dies, and Christian's first concern upon returning is her burial. Financially unprepared for this unexpected state of affairs, Christian accepts a job at the funeral home where he is in debt for his wife's funeral. That job, and a later job as an "idea man" at a corporation, provide much of the humor in the novel. It's essentially a book about the complicated nature of mourning.
If you love one Donleavy book, you'll love them all. If you're offended or unamused, nothing else Donleavy writes will change your mind. He is entirely who he is, and I'm glad that there are so many more books of his to read, so that I may prolong the singular, sincere pleasure of doing so.
October 28, 2014
Not, in my opinion the best ever written by Donleavy but even his second string is a masterpiece by most standards.
Once again we follow an emotionally stunted drunk, delusional and philandering cad on his rough and tumble journey through polite, and some cases not so polite, society in search of a little bit of peace and dignity accompanied by just a slight nip of the drink and maybe a little bit of satisfaction for ones frontal tail.
The cast of characters is amazing, the protagonist is both deplorable and endearingly tragic all at the same time, and the plot is bizarre riotous full of sex, drink and violence.
a bit dense and not always the easiest to read because of Donleavy's style of writing but beautifully phrased and a joy to read.
Once again we follow an emotionally stunted drunk, delusional and philandering cad on his rough and tumble journey through polite, and some cases not so polite, society in search of a little bit of peace and dignity accompanied by just a slight nip of the drink and maybe a little bit of satisfaction for ones frontal tail.
The cast of characters is amazing, the protagonist is both deplorable and endearingly tragic all at the same time, and the plot is bizarre riotous full of sex, drink and violence.
a bit dense and not always the easiest to read because of Donleavy's style of writing but beautifully phrased and a joy to read.
October 3, 2018
Este libro es la historia de un tipo que llega sin un mango y con la esposa muerta a NY. Como sobrevive en NY, como hay gente que lo quiere ayudar siempre y a él le importa un carajo todo porque esta demente. El libro te dice que si tenes buen porte, buena presencia y buen léxico el mundo se abre a tus pies a pesar de ser un patán. Es un libro demente. Es un libro sin demasiado hilo. Difícil de explicar. Va de primera persona a tercera persona constantemente. Pero es un libro entretenido, muy bien contado.
June 2, 2011
This book’s about American guy who moves back to America from Ireland and scams his way through life with his good looks, Irish accent, and charm. He is completely unsympathetic and I couldn’t even love to hate him. It was interesting that he lived in Greenlawn, a section of New York that judging from the descriptions was based on Woodlawn, which was where I was living at the time. But it didn’t justify the obnoxiousness of the narrator.
August 2, 2012
Having read almost everything Donleavy wrote in my younger years, I am very disappointed in this book. Basically, there is no plot. Cornelius Christian drifts from situation to situation for no reason. Some of these situations are very funny but disjointed. Also the stream of consciousness writing just seems out of control. I've only got a few pages left but not sure I'll even finish it. Sad for someone whose favorite book while a 20-something was The Ginger Man.
March 6, 2023
حوار المسرحية والحدث واضحين بشكل لا لبس فيه، لكن المسرحية نفسها غامضة ومثيرة بشكل مميز، المسرحية كانت ملهمة المؤلف لكتابة روايته الاهم بنفس العنوان، وبالتالي هي مدخل لاحداث أخرى، لكن اعتقد انها نموذجا لصياغة وحوار وسرد المؤلف. بالمسرحية جانب كوميدي او هزلي مصاغ يشكل جدي للغاية لا يثير الابتسام فقط بل الحزن كذلك، قراءة المسرحية تشجعني على البحث عن الرواية وباقي اعمال الكاتب، فمن يستطيع خلق مثل هذه الحالة من حدث صغير في صفحات معدودة قادر على بناء عمل أكبر وأقوى تأثيرا.
January 26, 2013
Abandoned after 97 pages. It's OK, but the back-cover description, 'madly funny,' must have meant something different in the early 70s.
March 12, 2013
I could really see myself in the main character of this book. In not in action, that at least it spirit.
December 19, 2023
Introduction to review
Read a bunch of JPD's books when I was like 20-25...went to revisit and found out he wrote like 10 more that I'd never read so here I am.
THE Review
I'm realizing that Donleavy wrote the same book over and over again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Guy, good looking and smart with money or without, ambles about and gets into adventures. Lots of dick jokes. Funny/ sad/ places in between. What else is there? Who am I to tell a dead author to broaden his range?! Anyways, he did: this one is in America (see title).
Read a bunch of JPD's books when I was like 20-25...went to revisit and found out he wrote like 10 more that I'd never read so here I am.
THE Review
I'm realizing that Donleavy wrote the same book over and over again. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Guy, good looking and smart with money or without, ambles about and gets into adventures. Lots of dick jokes. Funny/ sad/ places in between. What else is there? Who am I to tell a dead author to broaden his range?! Anyways, he did: this one is in America (see title).
July 9, 2020
Es un libro que no me resultó nada fácil de leer, por cómo está escrito, el poco contenido que tiene la historia y lo difícil que es empatizar con el protagonista.
Lo mas interesante es el diseño hermoso que tiene esta edición <3, recorrer la ciudad de NY de aquella época y la mirada crítica a la sociedad que tiene el autor.
Lo mas interesante es el diseño hermoso que tiene esta edición <3, recorrer la ciudad de NY de aquella época y la mirada crítica a la sociedad que tiene el autor.
December 5, 2023
i personally just didn’t really get the hype of it as a literary text. i bet it’s funny once it’s presented on stage but as a text, it’s just meh tbh lol, im interested in seeing how different interpretations would translate this work onto stage because the nuances can certainly change depending on how they’re interpreted, so ig that was interesting to think of whilst reading
April 4, 2010
This is one of those books where the narrative of the protagonist (and oddly, the protagonist removed from self at times) really takes over. He's disarming, insightful and despairing...much older and more manipulative than a Holden Caufield and more jaded too. The major similarity is the fact that he sees the phoniness in people. He wants them to be better but when they aren't, he's not going to cry over swear words in an elementary school. He's simply going to move on becoming more and more apathetic and not caring how much he hurts others. At the same time, he really does care. The city (NYC) clearly gets to him much more than any woman is capable of.
This one, this Cornelius Christian is the kind of shady character you want to try to love...you search for a redeeming sense to him just like all of the characters in his life that run into him. Donleavy puts you in their position in a way. You want to keep giving him chances even knowing he'll disappoint. He's honest about the disappointment as well. At the end, however, he can't give anyone what they'd like from him and if you were a character in this story, he's abuse you right along with the rest. I'm pretty convinced of that.
This novel has some fantastic lines...Christian too, though his thoughts, his memories of his cruel childhood, are usually even better. At times, you get a feel for action and metaphor like few writers can usually give you. At other times, this is crude and brash but the poetic insights are worth it.
Favorite quotes:
pg.9 "We like to make friends with sorrow Mr. Christian. That way we come to know it."
pg.12 "Someone else's house is more your own if it's filled with strangers"
pg.19 "Window full of refrigerators there. Say they're giving them away for nothing, almost. Just step inside for bargains beyond belief. I feel like there's nothing around me in the world."
pg.37 "..And my short wave says there's someone ready to jump on Fifth and Fiftieth. If the snow stays and gets deeper they'll be a lot more. They go out of the windows like pop corn off a red hot pan. Happens every time there's a blizzard."
pg. 108 "Sadness is a private garden. With high stone walls. And I would never leave it."
pg 164: "I am an orphaned prince."
pg. 183: "I don't have a degree. O k. Maybe I was too distracted by human nature in college. I got disappointed in human nature as well and gave it up because I found it too much like my own."
pg. 216: "Without crime this city would collapse....God is what your desires are."
pg. 256: "It taught me death is better than dying. Better than hapless Better than glee The cat's Meow in this midnight Sea"
pg. 302: "And anytime I ever saw anything floating in the sky, even a scrap of paper, I stopped to watch till it was gone."
This one, this Cornelius Christian is the kind of shady character you want to try to love...you search for a redeeming sense to him just like all of the characters in his life that run into him. Donleavy puts you in their position in a way. You want to keep giving him chances even knowing he'll disappoint. He's honest about the disappointment as well. At the end, however, he can't give anyone what they'd like from him and if you were a character in this story, he's abuse you right along with the rest. I'm pretty convinced of that.
This novel has some fantastic lines...Christian too, though his thoughts, his memories of his cruel childhood, are usually even better. At times, you get a feel for action and metaphor like few writers can usually give you. At other times, this is crude and brash but the poetic insights are worth it.
Favorite quotes:
pg.9 "We like to make friends with sorrow Mr. Christian. That way we come to know it."
pg.12 "Someone else's house is more your own if it's filled with strangers"
pg.19 "Window full of refrigerators there. Say they're giving them away for nothing, almost. Just step inside for bargains beyond belief. I feel like there's nothing around me in the world."
pg.37 "..And my short wave says there's someone ready to jump on Fifth and Fiftieth. If the snow stays and gets deeper they'll be a lot more. They go out of the windows like pop corn off a red hot pan. Happens every time there's a blizzard."
pg. 108 "Sadness is a private garden. With high stone walls. And I would never leave it."
pg 164: "I am an orphaned prince."
pg. 183: "I don't have a degree. O k. Maybe I was too distracted by human nature in college. I got disappointed in human nature as well and gave it up because I found it too much like my own."
pg. 216: "Without crime this city would collapse....God is what your desires are."
pg. 256: "It taught me death is better than dying. Better than hapless Better than glee The cat's Meow in this midnight Sea"
pg. 302: "And anytime I ever saw anything floating in the sky, even a scrap of paper, I stopped to watch till it was gone."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2023
The star of American-Irish postmodernism, James Patrick Danilvi, is credited with the phrase: "Writing is turning the worst moments of life into money." Well, he was more lucky, I will be able to convert the worst moments experienced while reading his novel only into a review with a minimum amount of profanity (if I'm lucky).
There is nothing magical and fabulous about the "Fairy Tale of New York". The usual postmodernism with the sexual activity of the hero, incompatible with life. Attention to the topic "what's in his pants?" in principle, it is characteristic of the genre, coupled with the rabbit appetites of the heroes in this area and the Rabelaisian descriptive redundancy. However, Danilvi exploits her more persistently than the hospital average, which makes reading tedious. Although the male reviewers who write that they enjoyed the book, I understand that their process was probably combined with physical activity and the production of endorphins.
The novel as a whole is misanthropic, monstrously sexist, racist and anti-Semitic. Depressiveness and depressing misanthropy are always close to the boiling point here, but the hero talks about his troubles and misfortunes so poetically that at the very moment of his speaking you involuntarily feel sympathy - how hard it is for the poor thing to live in the world! And if the negative is entirely on the conscience of the original, then it is worth thanking the translation for this unsolicited tenderness.
Тост. За Корнелиуса
Кристиан! Твои глаза для слез!
Кристиан! Для ласки – прядь волос.
Доверь свой талисман ладоням поздних спутниц,
Бедняга Кристиан – красивый и беспутный!
Звезде американо-ирландского постмодернизма Джеймсу Патрику Данилви приписывают фразу: "Писательство - это превращение худших моментов жизни в деньги". Что ж, ему повезло больше, мне удастся конвертировать худшие моменты, пережитые во время чтения его романа, лишь в рецензию с минимальным количеством ненорматива (если повезет).
В "Волшебной сказке Нью-Йорка" ничего волшебного и сказочного. Обычный постмодернизм с сексуальной активностью героя, несовместимой с жизнью. Внимание к теме "а что у него в штанах?" в принципе характерно для жанра, вкупе с кроличьими аппетитами героев в этой сфере и раблезианской описательной избыточностью. Однако Данилви эксплуатирует ее упорнее, чем в среднем по больнице, что делает чтение утомительным. Хотя мужчин-рецензентов, которые пишут, что получили от книги удовольствие, я понимаю - у них процесс наверняка совмещался с физической активностью и выработкой эндорфинов.
Роман в целом мизантропический, чудовищно сексистский, расистский и антисемитский. Депрессивность и унылое человеконенавистничество здесь все время близко к точке кипения, но герой говорит о своих бедах-злосчастиях так поэтично, что в самый момент его говорения невольно испытываешь сочувствие - как тяжело на свете жить бедняжечке! И если негатив целиком на совести оригинала, то за эту непрошеную нежность стоит поблагодарить перевод.
Самое время сказать о том, как книга разбила мои надежды: читать взялась по игре, а значит, прочла бы в любом случае, но увидев, что перевел Сергей Ильин, сказала себе: "Вот оно, счастье!" - потому что он гений перевода и моя большая любовь на все времена. Исходный текст, однако, не просто имеет значение, но важнее во всех отношениях. Ожидать подобного было бы естественнее от Максима Немцова или Анастасии Грызуновой с их малой брезгливостью, но первое издание "Волшебной сказки Нью-Йорка" вышло в 1995, когда Настя была еще не в профессии, а мимо Макса шедевр прошел еще по какой-то причине, и в целом, что имеем - то имеем.
О чем книга? Уроженец Бронкса Корнелиус Кристиан, оставшийся в детстве сиротой и поменявший несколько приемных семей, возвращается из Европы, куда уехал, достигнув совершеннолетия. С ним приплыл гроб жены, которая скончалась в пути. Он умеренно скорбит, но главным образом озабочен вопросом, как сумеет рассчитаться с пароходной компанией за транспортировку тела (это другой тариф, чем билет второго класса) и похоронным бюро. Все земное достояние на момент начала истории составляет сорок с небольшим долларов.
По счастью, владелец похоронной конторы, очарованный его аристократизмом и британским акцентом, предлагает работу "лицом фирмы", есть в Корнелиусе особая респектабельность, которая поспособствует притоку обеспеченных клиентов. Несмотря на то, что это позволит решить текущие проблемы и в рассрочку погасить долг, герой соглашается на постыдное ремесло не без колебаний. Не имея ничего, кроме внешности, манер и способности располагать к себе людей со средствами, еще он изрядный задира, недурной боксер в весе пера и у него сверхлибидо.
Мне представляется, что недолгим положением ведущего жанра постмодернизм обязан одержимости лестной для мужчин идеей об их готовности к сексу в любое время дня и ночи. Белые образованные цисгендерные англосаксы читают, отождествляются с героем и думают: "Вот какие мы молодцы, и Шекспира с Витгенштейном можем процитировать, и сношаться от забора до обеда". На первых же похоронах Кристиан знакомится с вдовой мультимиллионера. Фани не только богата и молода, она еще и хороша собой, и влюблена как кошка. Тут бы герою угомониться, но нет.
Вся дальнейшая история складывается из череды потрахушек с Фани, охоты на других женщин в промежутках и беспросветного нытья на несправедливость мироустройства фоном. Все возможности, предоставляемые доброй фортуной, герой последовательно продалбывает и к финалу закономерно приходит в том же плачевном состоянии, в каком мы его встретили. Возможно читатель в моем лице должен сделать из этого вывод, вроде "мир наживы и чистогана ловил его и не поймал", но думает только, что поделом мудаку.
Обязательные для постмодернизма лингвистические эксперименты с формой в этом тексте ограничиваются отказом от знаков препинания, которые Данилви упраздняет как класс, назначая гегемоном точку, которую уж зато ставит где надо и где не надо. Еще из стилистических особенностей то, что всякая глава завершается редкой тупости сентенцией, оформленной в столбик: как стихи, но без метра, ритма и рифмы.
Если бы не Сергей ильин, была бы двойка. За него четыре звезды.
#американская литература, постмодернизм, Данилви, пер. Сергея Ильина, издательство Симпозиум
There is nothing magical and fabulous about the "Fairy Tale of New York". The usual postmodernism with the sexual activity of the hero, incompatible with life. Attention to the topic "what's in his pants?" in principle, it is characteristic of the genre, coupled with the rabbit appetites of the heroes in this area and the Rabelaisian descriptive redundancy. However, Danilvi exploits her more persistently than the hospital average, which makes reading tedious. Although the male reviewers who write that they enjoyed the book, I understand that their process was probably combined with physical activity and the production of endorphins.
The novel as a whole is misanthropic, monstrously sexist, racist and anti-Semitic. Depressiveness and depressing misanthropy are always close to the boiling point here, but the hero talks about his troubles and misfortunes so poetically that at the very moment of his speaking you involuntarily feel sympathy - how hard it is for the poor thing to live in the world! And if the negative is entirely on the conscience of the original, then it is worth thanking the translation for this unsolicited tenderness.
Тост. За Корнелиуса
Кристиан! Твои глаза для слез!
Кристиан! Для ласки – прядь волос.
Доверь свой талисман ладоням поздних спутниц,
Бедняга Кристиан – красивый и беспутный!
Звезде американо-ирландского постмодернизма Джеймсу Патрику Данилви приписывают фразу: "Писательство - это превращение худших моментов жизни в деньги". Что ж, ему повезло больше, мне удастся конвертировать худшие моменты, пережитые во время чтения его романа, лишь в рецензию с минимальным количеством ненорматива (если повезет).
В "Волшебной сказке Нью-Йорка" ничего волшебного и сказочного. Обычный постмодернизм с сексуальной активностью героя, несовместимой с жизнью. Внимание к теме "а что у него в штанах?" в принципе характерно для жанра, вкупе с кроличьими аппетитами героев в этой сфере и раблезианской описательной избыточностью. Однако Данилви эксплуатирует ее упорнее, чем в среднем по больнице, что делает чтение утомительным. Хотя мужчин-рецензентов, которые пишут, что получили от книги удовольствие, я понимаю - у них процесс наверняка совмещался с физической активностью и выработкой эндорфинов.
Роман в целом мизантропический, чудовищно сексистский, расистский и антисемитский. Депрессивность и унылое человеконенавистничество здесь все время близко к точке кипения, но герой говорит о своих бедах-злосчастиях так поэтично, что в самый момент его говорения невольно испытываешь сочувствие - как тяжело на свете жить бедняжечке! И если негатив целиком на совести оригинала, то за эту непрошеную нежность стоит поблагодарить перевод.
Самое время сказать о том, как книга разбила мои надежды: читать взялась по игре, а значит, прочла бы в любом случае, но увидев, что перевел Сергей Ильин, сказала себе: "Вот оно, счастье!" - потому что он гений перевода и моя большая любовь на все времена. Исходный текст, однако, не просто имеет значение, но важнее во всех отношениях. Ожидать подобного было бы естественнее от Максима Немцова или Анастасии Грызуновой с их малой брезгливостью, но первое издание "Волшебной сказки Нью-Йорка" вышло в 1995, когда Настя была еще не в профессии, а мимо Макса шедевр прошел еще по какой-то причине, и в целом, что имеем - то имеем.
О чем книга? Уроженец Бронкса Корнелиус Кристиан, оставшийся в детстве сиротой и поменявший несколько приемных семей, возвращается из Европы, куда уехал, достигнув совершеннолетия. С ним приплыл гроб жены, которая скончалась в пути. Он умеренно скорбит, но главным образом озабочен вопросом, как сумеет рассчитаться с пароходной компанией за транспортировку тела (это другой тариф, чем билет второго класса) и похоронным бюро. Все земное достояние на момент начала истории составляет сорок с небольшим долларов.
По счастью, владелец похоронной конторы, очарованный его аристократизмом и британским акцентом, предлагает работу "лицом фирмы", есть в Корнелиусе особая респектабельность, которая поспособствует притоку обеспеченных клиентов. Несмотря на то, что это позволит решить текущие проблемы и в рассрочку погасить долг, герой соглашается на постыдное ремесло не без колебаний. Не имея ничего, кроме внешности, манер и способности располагать к себе людей со средствами, еще он изрядный задира, недурной боксер в весе пера и у него сверхлибидо.
Мне представляется, что недолгим положением ведущего жанра постмодернизм обязан одержимости лестной для мужчин идеей об их готовности к сексу в любое время дня и ночи. Белые образованные цисгендерные англосаксы читают, отождествляются с героем и думают: "Вот какие мы молодцы, и Шекспира с Витгенштейном можем процитировать, и сношаться от забора до обеда". На первых же похоронах Кристиан знакомится с вдовой мультимиллионера. Фани не только богата и молода, она еще и хороша собой, и влюблена как кошка. Тут бы герою угомониться, но нет.
Вся дальнейшая история складывается из череды потрахушек с Фани, охоты на других женщин в промежутках и беспросветного нытья на несправедливость мироустройства фоном. Все возможности, предоставляемые доброй фортуной, герой последовательно продалбывает и к финалу закономерно приходит в том же плачевном состоянии, в каком мы его встретили. Возможно читатель в моем лице должен сделать из этого вывод, вроде "мир наживы и чистогана ловил его и не поймал", но думает только, что поделом мудаку.
Обязательные для постмодернизма лингвистические эксперименты с формой в этом тексте ограничиваются отказом от знаков препинания, которые Данилви упраздняет как класс, назначая гегемоном точку, которую уж зато ставит где надо и где не надо. Еще из стилистических особенностей то, что всякая глава завершается редкой тупости сентенцией, оформленной в столбик: как стихи, но без метра, ритма и рифмы.
Если бы не Сергей ильин, была бы двойка. За него четыре звезды.
#американская литература, постмодернизм, Данилви, пер. Сергея Ильина, издательство Симпозиум
January 3, 2016
This is my second time reading this book, the first being in my late 20s. At this point in my life, it is less entertaining and more crass. I do feel more empathy for Christian, a very lonely man, an orphan with a sad childhood who clearly has brought a lot of this sadness with him through life. The book begins with death, the death of his wife. He returns to the place of his lonely childhood, NYC. He enters the funeral business and surrounds himself with more death. He tries to escape loneliness and death, mostly with violence (learned in his childhood as a coping mechanism?) and sex (something he has no trouble finding - women seem to fall at his feet - but whether or not he's actually seeking a bond with someone - it's not clear - he is unable / chooses not to form a lasting bond with anyone.)
Christian certainly has the opportunity, many opportunities, to begin again but makes the decision to wreck each and every one. Job opportunities, friendships, love. In the end he chooses escape has his last way to cope.
One last thought - all the short phrases throughout the book are irony to Christian's inability to perform to the standards of Mott's Think Tank.
Christian certainly has the opportunity, many opportunities, to begin again but makes the decision to wreck each and every one. Job opportunities, friendships, love. In the end he chooses escape has his last way to cope.
One last thought - all the short phrases throughout the book are irony to Christian's inability to perform to the standards of Mott's Think Tank.
March 27, 2023
Lo abandoné a mitad de libro, súper vulgar, grosero, y bajo ningún concepto podías sentirte cercano al personaje.
He leído Libros que me han parecido espantosos hasta el final, pero este es aburridísimo y no hay manera de conectarte con él o el personaje. Imagino que en los 70’s una historia así debió ser algo “novedoso” e “impactante”; pero ahora resulta totalmente insufrible.
He leído Libros que me han parecido espantosos hasta el final, pero este es aburridísimo y no hay manera de conectarte con él o el personaje. Imagino que en los 70’s una historia así debió ser algo “novedoso” e “impactante”; pero ahora resulta totalmente insufrible.
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